The Ivy are set to begin their inaugural season on May 11, 2024
RICHMOND, Va. – USL W League Richmond announced, Wednesday, that the club’s official name will be Richmond Ivy Soccer Club. The new USL W expansion side will take the pitch for the very first time on May 11, 2024 under a brand new crest and the new name: Richmond Ivy.
Richmond has grown into a city where we lift each other up and look to grow in order to build a more tight-knit community. This city has provided a space in which women and women’s soccer have been able to thrive.
“Welcome to Richmond Ivy!” Sporting Director Madeline McCracken said. “We are so thrilled to have our players represent this brand and this crest out on the pitch. The work Alex, Alyn and the rest of the team put in has been nothing short of thorough and it shows in the identity we are able to share with you. We hope every Richmond soccer fan can get excited to gear up for May 11th now that they know they’ll be cheering on the Ivy.”
Bringing a USL W League team to the River City means to invest further in the women around us and their visions. Here in Richmond, we provide a place to grow as athletes, as people, and as leaders in the community.
Richmond Ivy Soccer Club fits perfectly into that vision. This club and this city are made of many. Bringing together the best talent the city presently holds, in tandem with the return of some of Richmond’s most incredible players, creates a sturdy foundation for Richmond Ivy to grow, as leaves of the same vine.
To form the brand identity, Richmond Kickers and Richmond Ivy Director of Branding and Marketing Alyn Carr called on Alex Kocher, Creative Director at Easy Friday Company, to establish a brand design plan.
“Working with Alex was such a fun experience,” Carr said. “His creativity and thoughtfulness at every step of the way allowed us to come away with the best brand identity possible. Whether it was leading us in thought experiments or helping us to discern what we liked and didn’t like about a certain option, he was patient and turned our feedback into such a successful project. We’re excited for the city of Richmond to embrace the Ivy as tightly as we have.”
The naming and design process encompassed nearly a year, with early planning meetings starting well before the expansion side was announced.
“To begin the brand design process, we first discussed the ideas and themes that we felt represented Richmond and that helped us align on a set of values for the club,” Kocher said. “Every decision along the way – from the name, to color, font selection and iconography – were guided by these common ideas.”
Club leadership then evaluated hundreds of potential names, cross checked them with these identity goals, made moodboards, explored potential design spaces for each of those names and held focus groups with women who serve as leaders in the community to garner their opinions.
Through the careful consideration at each of those steps, the club arrived at Richmond Ivy Soccer Club.
From there, Kocher pivoted to working on the crest. He presented several freehand sketches to the team before moving on to vector imagery. Ultimately, Kocher developed the design that resonated beautifully with the group. The crest references the iconic James River bridges, seven points to represent the seven hills of Richmond, and our founding year: 2024.
“I am incredibly proud and grateful for the opportunity to work on a project like this that has the potential to create a real impact on the soccer community and city of Richmond,” Kocher said. “I think fans will be surprised by the name. It’s a little unexpected – but it embodies so many of the characteristics we want this club to represent. And once you know the name, you’ll begin to see it throughout Richmond and realize its connection to the city.”
Finally, Kocher added color into the equation and worked with the group to get the crest right on every level, finding the perfect shade of Ivy green and Virginian brick orange to hold it steady as we climb ever higher.
“We have been so humbled by the incredible enthusiasm and energy to support this new W League team!” Richmond Kickers and Richmond Ivy Chairman and CEO Rob Ukrop said. “Highlights include welcoming over 550 Founders Club members, an exciting expanded partnership with Carmax for the front of the women’s jersey, and incredible interest by young women who want to compete for their new hometown team. We were intentional about creating a new brand, and thanks to the leadership of Alex Kocher, additional input from several women community leaders, and our Kickers internal staff, we are thrilled to introduce Richmond Ivy. As our friend Catherine Davidson stated: we believe that Ivy is a reflection of modern young women: strong, resilient, and ready to take on any challenge together. See everyone at City Stadium on May 11 for the opener!”
Richmond Ivy Soccer Club Manifesto
Richmond’s hillsides, riverbanks and historic homes are united by the bonds of Ivy’s twisting vines. Ivy is elegant and beautiful but it is also creative and tenacious. Ivy is always striving for greatness, overcoming obstacles and climbing ever higher.
When you’re an Ivy, you’re part of something so much bigger than yourself. You become part of something that continues to grow with every season, athlete, fan and supporter of the beautiful game in Richmond, Virginia.
Made of many, Ivy forms impossibly strong bonds, always lifting each other up, and defying adversity with determination and unity.
About the USL W Expansion Side – Richmond Ivy
Announced on July 15, 2023, Richmond Ivy is one of the latest USL W League expansion sides preparing to kick off its inaugural season in 2024. 22 Holdings, LLC, the ownership group that runs the Richmond Kickers, founded the W League side to create a new level of competition for women’s soccer in the region.
This team competing in 2024 marks the first time Richmond has fielded a pre-professional women’s team since the Richmond Kickers Destiny that operated from 2005 to 2009. As players did while playing for Destiny, W League RVA players will have a platform to develop their talents as players and serve as role models to lead the growth of women’s soccer in our wider community.
About The USL W League
The USL W League is a leader in pre-professional soccer in North America, developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field. The USL W League strives to use women’s soccer as a force for societal good by creating a national platform to increase opportunity, gender equity, and career development. The League and its member clubs are committed to investing in women’s soccer – through not only financial resources but also with time, energy, and attention – and are united in our mission to grow the women’s game.
The USL W League will serve as the nation’s premier pre-professional league developing the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field, enhancing the women’s soccer pipeline between college and professional soccer. With 44 teams across 20 states in its inaugural season, the USL W League will bring elite women’s soccer to communities across the U.S., creating more opportunities to play, watch and work in the women’s game.